Gas heater



March 26, 1929. D; M, BOWEN GAS HEATER Filed July 25, 1927 Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES DAVID M. BOWEN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

GAS HEATER.

Application filed July 25,

This invention relates to heaters of the type used for domestic heating purposes. While the invention may be adapted for burning any kind of fuel, it is intended particularly to be used for burning gas. The general object of the invention is to produce a heater of simple construct-ion which can'be very economically manufactured, and the elements of which are formed from flat plates; also to provide a p heater of this type which will presenta relatively large heating surface for transferring the heat from the gases of combustion to the air.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heater having a plurality of relatively narrow air flues disposed between relatively narrow gas fines, and also to provide simple means for directing the gases of combustion in a circuitous route through the heater.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a heater composed of a plurality of heating elements of simple construction thereby enabling heaters of different capacity to be readily constructed simply by increasing the length; in other words, one of my objects is to produce a heater composed of a plurality of simple units, to facilitate the production of different sizes ofheaters by simply increasing or decreasing the number of heating elements.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combinati on of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efiicient gas heater.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a heater embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the heator taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. This line is located on the center line of the heater extending in a front and rear direction.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section through the heater taken about on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

According to my invention the heater is composed of a plurality of heating elements of simple construction. These elements include relatively fiat plate like air ducts which are mounted parallel with each other in the heater and disposed slightly apart so as to 1927. Serial No. 208,221.

form gas flues between them. As the gases of combustion pass through the heater they are brokenup lnto a great number of small,

narrow currents which pass between the air flues, that is to say, between the fiat plates which form the sides of the air fiues. In this way a relatively large area of surface is provided through which the heat transfer takes lace. The air flues are preferably constructedof thin plates of sheet metal through which the heat can be readily transferred.

In the following specification I have described the invention as embodied in a heater in which the elements are in the form of air ducts. I V Y Referring to the drawing, 1 represents a casing which is preferably of substantially rectangular, or box, form. This casing may be conveniently constructed of thin metal plates, and includes a forward wall 2, a bottom plate 3, a cover plate 4 and a rear wall 5. I Within the casing I provide a plurality of air flues 6'. These flues, are elongated in horizontal cross section, preferably in a front and rear direction; in other words, each air flue is a fiat, hollow, ortubular element with the two side plates 7 connected by a narrow front plate 8 and a narrow rear plate 9. Each air flue has an inlet opening 10 at its-lower end,

and an outlet opening 11 at its'upper end.

These heating elements or flues 6 are set up in the casing in a substantially parallel relation and the plates that'form each flue are connected at their upper ends by seams 12 to the cover plate 4 (see Fig.3) In this way relatively narrow gas flues 13 are formed between, the adjacent air flues.

Within the casing, preferably near the front wall and near the bottom plate 3, I proi vide a burner 14 which may be a gas burner in the form of atube extending horizontally along the front and interior of the heater. Access may be had to the burner tolight it through a hinged'door 15 in the front wall of the heater.

The rear Wall 5 is provided with an outlet 16 for the gases of combustion. If desired the bottom plate 3 may be provided with air inlet openings, or draft openings 17 for the admission of sufficient air for combustion of the gas.

While the elements already described will produce an efficient heater I prefer to provide means within the heater for guiding the gases of combustion in a. circuitous route as they pass from the burner 14 to theoutlet 16.

I provide means for causing them to pass. up at the front and downwardly toward the rear in a single pass composed of a plurality of currents between the air fiues. In order to accomplish this I prefer to provide baiileplates extending up or down from the bottom plate 3 or the cover plate at. In the present instance I provide alront battle-plate 17 that extends up from the bottom plate 3 near the forward wall 8 of the air flu-es, and the upper edge of this battle-plate is disposed at a considerable distance below the cover plate 4 of the heater so that an opening 18 is formed at its upper edge througl'i which the gases of combustion can pass readily into the gas fines 18 between the air flues. A sim ilar baffle-plate It) is provided at the rear of the air flues and: mounted in a similar manner extending down from the cover plate 4 and terminating short of the bottom plate 3 so that an opening 20 is formed tl'irough which the gases may pass to the outlet chamber 21 at the back of the heater and with which the outer opening 16 communicates.

The burner is located in a combustion chamber 22 formed between the baffle-plate 17 and the front wall 2' of the heater. I prefer to have the air ducts 6 relatively narrow at the lower ends and relatively wide at their upper ends, (see Fig. This enables the batlle-pl'ate 17 to be disposed in an inclined direction over the burner so that the gases of combustion nove upwardly uner the inclined plate thereby realizing a condition which favors the transier ol heat from the gases to the air currents that pass up through the heater. This tapered tormof the air flues also enables the bathe-plate 19* to be disposed in an inclined position. V /ith. this form for the air d cts it should be evi d'ent that the combustion chamber 22 contracts in a horizontal direction towards the upper end and the outlet chamber 21 does like wise. The arrows indicate the course ol the and air in passing through the heater.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and l do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment forth.

hat I claim: i

l. ltn a heater i. burnin gas or th like, the combination of a substantial y n V lar casing h aving a bottom wall and a cover wall, a plurali y oil? air flu oi" horizontally elongated cross section within said casing, each 3 flue having an inlet opening for the air at the said bottom wall and an outlet opening for the air at the said cover wall, a burner within the casing near the bottom wall, said air flues being disposed apart so as to form gas fl'ues between the same, a battle-plate within the casing extending up from the bottom wall for guiding the gases of combustion upwardly so as to cause the same to enter the gas flues at an elevated point in the casing, and a second bathe-plate extending downwardly from the cover w: ll near the rear wall of the casing, operating to produce a downward pass of the of combustion through the gas-flucs 2. In a heater for burning gas or the like, the combination of a casing, a burner mounted in the lower portion of the casing near the forward wall thereof, a plurality of air flucs oi elo-i .ted horizontal cross section disposed within the casing in a front-andrear substantially vertical plane, open at their upper and lower ends to conduct the air to be heated through the heater, a barlile-p-lat extending upwardly within the casing on the forward ends of the said air lines and co operating with the forward wall oi the heater to conduct the oi' c=:;--n1-bustion upwardly to an elevated point in the heater between the said air fines, said casing having cover wall cooperating with the said bafile-plate to produce downward pass of the gases of combustion tmvard the bottom oi the heater, a second bathe-plate extending downwardly from the cover wall oi the casing adjacent to the rear ends of the air clues and cooperating with the back wall '01 the casing to pro ducean outlet chanber for the of combustion from the l ter. 7

3. l heater i or burning or the like, the combination oi a sulist antially rectangular ca, ii rg having a bottom plate and a cover I plate, a l "ner mounted in the lower portion J- c v or the cash g, a plurality of air-i ues elongated horizontal cross section disposed substantially parallel with each other within the casing and spaced apart so as to form 1,15 yn-1 1 -1 -1-., l ues cctw een t is an r ucs and one n t is COX or plate,

L116 forward. walls of said air fi ues being disposed in an inclined position over said burner, and an outlet in the rear wall oi the casing for the gases of combustion.

in a heater for burr 'ng' gas or the like, the combination or a sub. ntially rectangu lar casing having a bottom plate and a cover plate, a burner extending ate oi the casing adjacent the se. bottom plate, a plurality oi air i lues oi elongated horizontal crr s section disposed substantially parallel n th each o her in the car" ig and spaced apart ii an (fit'C'l'l other to jt'orrn gas lines through which the gases of combustion may pass toward the rear wall oi the casing, an outlet for the 5 cs o l combus ion at the rear wall, and battle-plates at the front and rear sides of th air fines for guiding the gases of combustion in a circuitous route in passin from the burne to the outlet.

Signed at Les Ang a Calif, this 19th day of July, 192?.

DAVID M. BOl VEN. 

